Process of abstracting silicon from silicious materials.



Patented May I, I900. BUCK &. C. B. M LICON FROM SILICIO CUBS.

R. KNAUR, H. W. PROCESS OF ABSTRACTING S! US MATERIALS.

(Application filed Apr. 1, 1898.)

(No Model.)

WITNESSES g w/spwa NEW JERSEY.

Fares? ii il) KE'AUR, OF VIENNA, AUSTLlA'l-l" N'GARY, l-IARGLDWV. BUCK, ill INECTADY, HEY? YORK. AND CllARL-ES ll. JAOQBS, OF EASTOPDA'NGE,

$ECIFIQATI02 to Eng part of Letters Patent Zikl'o. 542$,63, dated may 1, i990.

wit-om 2": '1'. e7, can i c it knownthat we, Rn D I. KN'AUR, uhje tof thellnipercroi -Hungary, iidiug in Vienna, Austua-nungary, and OLD 3V. BUCK, residing in Schenectady,

.l county of Schenectady, State New York,

and JEARLES l3. Jacoes, re

county of Essex, Ste of New Jersey, 5 of" the United St have invented PW and useful Improvements in Procostracting Silicon from Silicious Mm of .which the following is specificain East Orteriale, tion. 7

Our invention relates to a process of separating silicon from silicious materials and to the formation of silicon-,liydrid by permitting a hydrogen-bearing gas to act upon silicious material brought to a state'ot fusion or incandescence. The silicon hydrid may then be acted upon for the reduction of silicon or for the formation of other products as immediatelyiollowing operation or may F. stored for subsequent use, and in case the raw material used contains materials other than silicious then these materials thus doprived of silicon may be utilized.

in carrying out our invention we may use as a raw material any silicious compound containing silicic oxid alone or combined with other materials and bring it to a state of fusion or incandescence by the application of heat, after which we admit to the mass or liberate within the same a hydrogen-bearing gas-such. forgexample, as water-gas or other gas containing hydrogen in association with an oxid of carbon-thereby permitting the hydrogen to react upon the silicious material and form silicon hydrid. The operation is conducted in an electric furnace. The type of electric-furnace we prefer to employ is one in which the heat is furnished by an electric arc playinghetween two electrodes, once)? which is adjustable, the mass of silicious inaterial being placed in the neighborhood of the are and preferably below the same within the furnace, the latter being provided with a closed chamber to prevent the escape of heat. The reducing agent may be supplied from the outside and led to the fused or illcandescent mass by a pipe ent g the walls of the furnace or-may'he ge :ated within the furnace, as will be heroine-i. our described.

In the accompanying drawing, which illus trates one type of furnace adapted to carry out our invention upon a refractory silicious ore or material, 1 represents messing formed of fire briclr or other refrsctory material and lined Witlrfire-brick, carbonbriclr, or other refractory material, as indicated at 2. Within the chamber, inclosed by the walls of the casing, extend ca bon electrodes 3 i, one of which is preferably adjustable, so as to regulate the springing. of the arc and the length of the same, as indicated by the adjustment screw 5, mounted on astandard placed insuitable relation to the furnace. In circuit with the electrodes are current indicating and measuring instruments 6 7, one of which is-an ampere meter and theothera voltmeter, to in dicate the strength and voltage 01 the current passing through-the are and admit of control of the heat. From the top of the furnace leads an reduction-pipe S to carry cit the silicon hydricl, which pipe may communicate with any suitable storage apparatus to hold the or the gas may be acted upon directly on issuing" from the furnace for conversion into other products. The refractory silicio'us ore or material is heaped upon the bottom of the furnace chamber and an electric arc sprung across the terminals of the electrodes 3 and 4., The heat within the chamber accu m ulates on til the material is rendered incandescent or partially or Wholly fused, afterwhich hydrogen gas or Water-gas may be admitted through a pipe 9, or the water-gas may be generated within the furnace-chamber, as set fol-thin a appending application filed on or about the 7th dayof February, 1898, Serial No. 670,005. Assuming that ordinary sand, which is almost pure silicon, be act-edupon as a raw ma terial, and if Water-gas be employed as "the reacting gas, the reaction will be as follows:

alumina (clay) be the raw material, the reactionwith hydrogen will he as follows:

Silicon hydrid, as before, passes off as a gas from the top of the furnace. With Water-gas and the same raw material the reaction will he as follows:

' Sill' ,+Al. SiO -+2C +Aq. (O

The process is also applicable generally with gases containing hydrogen admixed with an oxid of carbon. Such gases are cheap and easily procured, which is not the case with pure hydrogen, and the presence of the oxid of carbon is not only not detrimental for the purposes of this invention, but aids in the reaction. The fused. aluminous residue (Al,Si0 remaining when clay is operated in this manner is of value as an abradent, and my invention covers the manufacture of such a product in this manner or generally the removal of part or all of the silioious matter from materials containing more or less of such matter admixed with aluminous or other matter.

Having thus described our invention, What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The process of abstracting silicon from materials containing it, consisting in subjecting such materials to the heat of an electric furnace to raise them to incandescence, and while so incandescent subjecting them to the action of a gas containing hydrogen and oxid 5 of carbon.

eaelsee 2. The process of abstracting silicon from materials containing it, consisting in subjecting them to theheat 0t an electric furnace raised to incandescence and then subjecting it to the action of Water-gas. 4o 3. The process of abstracting silicon frem silicates consisting in subjecting the latter or a material containing it to the heat of; an electric furnace until raised to incandescence and then subjecting it to theact-ion of Watergas. Y

4. The process of making an aluminous product from aluminium silicate consisting in subjecting the same while heated t0 incandescence in an electric furnace, to the action of water-gas.

In testimony whereof we have hereu nio sshscribed our names.

Dated March 12, 1898.

RICHARD I. liNAUlt Vv'itnesses to knaur:

HENRY C. CARPENTER, CHAS. E. CARPENTER;

Dated February 26, 1898.

HAROL" W. U K Witnesses to Buck:

OSCAR l). BELER, A. VEDDEB. Msons.

Dated February 17, 1898.

CHARLES ii. Witnesses to J aco'hs:

(3. A. WasTERvEL'r, WM. F. Poucuan.

.mcous, 

